This morning, I thought about me, standing where I was standing. It happened in a strange way. I sort of saw myself standing on globe, on the very round planet Earth. There I was, just north of Camden, Ohio, and there around me was the great expanse of everything.
Of course, this made me think about our world in general.
I dug around a little bit and found some interesting things.
For one, I learned that the world’s entire population could fit inside the state of Texas. Hee Haw. All 8 billion people. It would be crowded — about the same density level as New York City — but it could be done.
Speaking of the Big Apple. Over 40 buildings in New York City have their own zip codes. This cracks me up. My zip code covers a lot of area. It includes Camden, Fairhaven, Gratis, West Elkton, Somerville, Morning Sun, and part of Lakengren. But in NYC, just one building gets its very own.
In fact, Manhattan—the most crowded of New York City’s five boroughs—is so cramped that it has over 200 zip codes.
Here’s another good fact about our land. Boston and Austin are the only two U.S. state capitals with rhyming names. I think I shall write a poem.
Since we are spanning the globe, parts of Nevada are farther west than Los Angeles, California. It doesn’t seem possible, but it is true. California is one of the westernmost states. It makes up the majority of the nation’s west coast. But, next door in Nevada, specifically the city of Reno, Nevada? Believe it or not, Reno is farther west than the coastal city of Los Angeles.
Speaking of the California coastline, it isn’t the longest U.S. coastline. Neither is Florida. That distinction goes to Alaska. Its coast spans 6,640 miles, which is more than all of the other 49 states combined.
From long to short. The United States is home to the world’s shortest river. That would be the little Roe River in Montana. Roe only flows for about 200 feet, making it the shortest river in the world. Row, row, row your boat.
Finally, it is hard to travel anywhere without running into a McDonald’s. But. There’s only one U.S. capital without a McDonald’s, and that would be Montpelier, Vermont. No Big Macs there. No special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. It might be because Montpelier is the smallest U.S. capital.
So. I pictured myself standing on the Earth. And I noticed some good fascinating things around me. Things are around us. They are. If only we look.
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I like geography. I like to know where places are.
— Tom Felton
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Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.
— Truman Capote
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There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives.
— Josephine Hart
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Where we stand on this ball of ours. Looky.
